We have been having a heat wave in the northeast, so have been spending a lot of time in and around water to cool down. While the water table is always a favorite, I thought I'd share some ideas to make it even more fun. Ideas of things to add:

This was an inexpensive and fast (<15 minutes to set up) project that I got the idea for after visiting a children's museum that had something similar.

What you need:

Frame (mine was $1 at the local dollar store)

String

Scissors

Fabric, ribbon, shoelaces, etc. Different textures are nice. I threw some hook and loop in there too.

The frame I started with. I just took out the glass and paper.

Add some strings. I will probably add more to make it more challenging in the future.

Materials for weaving. Cut the fabric to different widths.

H weaves.

Done!

It might be fun to have different colored fabric scraps around for different holidays, or to make a rainbow, or enough of the same kinds to do patterns. After some practice we might move on to a real weaving frame, but this is fun in the meantime. Apparently it is even more fun to pull all of the ribbons out after the project is complete!

This is one of our favorite outdoor activities. H&F don't like going on walks without a purpose, and although I'd love to just walk for the sake of walking, giving them a task to focus on while we're walking seems to help them enjoy the walk quite a bit more than they would otherwise.

What you need:

basket or beach pail

a safe place to walk (I also like to bring the wagon, in case pails get too heavy or little feet get too tired!)

That's it!

We like to save our rocks and bring them inside, weigh them, wash them in a basin and then build with them, sort them by size, or paint them.

Rock hunting in the neighborhood!

Weighing in.

Rinsing and scrubbing. Good skills to master!

F paints. We added stick on googly eyes after they dried.

H paints! You can also warm the rocks in the oven and use crayons to color them.

Loot from a previous rock hunt. Great for sorting.

We picked up a few more rocks at a local park recently. Some great finds!

I may have to find a few more good sized, flat rocks. After seeing these on pinterest, I really want some for my garden!